Ashwin, match-winner & innovator for the ages

Few bowlers have had an impact on Indian cricket as deep and for as long, as Ravichandran Ashwin. India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, with 537 scalps in 106 matches after Anil Kumble (619 wickets in 132), announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, soon after India’s third Test against Australia in Brisbane ended in a draw. The timing of the decision — the series is tied 1-1 with Tests in Melbourne and Sydney to go — came as a surprise, and some questions still need answering for clarity to emerge about what led to him taking this call.

But there can’t be any doubt that the art of off-spin has lost one of its greatest exponents. From the carrom ball to the doosra, from using the drift while bowling with the new ball to even churning out leg spin — Ashwin’s variations and constant experimentations kept him ahead of the curve.

No bowler has more Test wickets in India than Ashwin, making him the country’s premier match-winner. And while his exploits in the longest format may be more celebrated, he is truly a modern cricketer of a new age. Ashwin’s impact on the T20 game in the Indian Premier League, both as a strike bowler and as a stifler of run rates, has been immense — and that journey will fortunately continue.

In spite of his achievements — Ashwin shares the record for most Player-of-the-Series awards (11); has the best strike rate (50.7) among bowlers with more than 500 wickets; and the second-highest five-wicket hauls (37) after only Muttiah Muralitharan — he has not always been treated well by Indian cricket in its quest for new novelties. No batsman would ever be dealt with that way, and so, in the story of his glorious career also lies a cautionary tale about how Indian cricket must treasure its champion bowlers.

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